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How to do a Lyrica taper?

Posted by dmfulton @dmfulton, Jul 27, 2025

How do I taper off Lyrica 25 mg nightly? I was started on it for cervical nerve root pain, now gone completely after epidural injection. I have been on it for about 6 weeks.

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jbjana6827 | @jbjana6827 | May 29 4:41pm
In reply to @bajjerfan "@jbjana6827 The first time I tried I did 25mg every few days for maybe a week..." + (show)
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@jbjana6827

The first time I tried I did 25mg every few days for maybe a week and it was all good. Later I decided that getting off of it wasn't such a smart mave and I'm still on it.

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@bajjerfan well that's the other thing. If your pain is still there, then you're not ready to come off it. I did find some breakthrough pain with my first taper, but it subsided after two days. I think my pain is gone now but I'm still tapering and will be for quite some time. I wish you well in your recovery journey.

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bajjerfan | @bajjerfan | May 29 8:54pm
In reply to @jbjana6827 "@bajjerfan well that's the other thing. If your pain is still there, then you're not ready..." + (show)
Profile picture for jbjana6827 @jbjana6827

@bajjerfan well that's the other thing. If your pain is still there, then you're not ready to come off it. I did find some breakthrough pain with my first taper, but it subsided after two days. I think my pain is gone now but I'm still tapering and will be for quite some time. I wish you well in your recovery journey.

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@jbjana6827

The pain was on the left side of my chest. Felt just like diabetic neuropathy pain. Also had unbearable all body itching. PreGabalin hits them both. I didn't have any of the withdrawal issues that many here talk about. In fact I went from GabaPentin to PreGabalin without skipping a beat.

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canada1wish | @canada1wish | Jul 5 1:45am
In reply to @bajjerfan "The smallest dose available is 25mg IIRC. Either stay on it or find a compounding pharmacy..." + (show)
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The smallest dose available is 25mg IIRC. Either stay on it or find a compounding pharmacy to supply smaller doses. I would suggest maybe 5mg then go to 20mg 15mg etc.

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@bajjerfan break open the capsule and take less?

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bajjerfan | @bajjerfan | Jul 5 10:53am
In reply to @canada1wish "@bajjerfan break open the capsule and take less?" + (show)
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@bajjerfan break open the capsule and take less?

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@canada1wish

The one time I tried getting off of it the 25mg size was adequate.

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canada1wish | @canada1wish | Jul 6 7:40am

I’m not sure what you mean. My normal dose is 25mg. Should I break it open to taper or just skip?

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bajjerfan | @bajjerfan | Jul 6 4:26pm
In reply to @canada1wish "I’m not sure what you mean. My normal dose is 25mg. Should I break it open..." + (show)
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I’m not sure what you mean. My normal dose is 25mg. Should I break it open to taper or just skip?

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@canada1wish

25mg is also the smallest readily available dose for Lyrica/PreGabalin. I didn't need to go to a lower dose in order to get off of it. If you can't find a compounding pharmacy to supply it at a lower dose and a favorable price then you might need to split yours up.

Use a sharp knife to cut in half. Put the half capsule into an empty gelcap. You can buy these in various sizes. That way you can swallow it without having to taste it.

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